WILDLIFE CLINIC: Hazards can plague migrating birds

Joanna Fitzgerald is director of the von Arx Wildlife Hospital at the Conservancy of Southwest Florida in Naples. Call 239-262-2273.

4:18 PM, Apr 25, 2013

Ana Sosa
A chuck-will's-widow is hand fed by von Arx Wildlife staff. The bird was found floating in the Gulf and suffers from an eye injury.

Two fox squirrels and three chuck-will’s-widows were among the 77 animals admitted to the von Arx Wildlife Hospital at the Conservancy of Southwest Florida last week. Other admissions include a northern cardinal, a brown thrasher, a northern gannet, a great blue heron, six eastern screech owls and 10 eastern cottontails.

Hit by Cars

Although the two fox squirrels were admitted on different days after being found at different locations, they had one thing in common: both were hit by cars. The first fox squirrel was struck on Golden Gate Parkway. A caring motorist saw the squirrel get hit and found a box to transport the injured squirrel. When he returned to the scene the squirrel was in the same spot, unable to move.

The fox squirrel was alert when it arrived at the wildlife hospital. Staff noticed the squirrel was could not use its back legs and no deep pain response. A radiograph confirmed our suspicions; the squirrel had a fractured spine and was paralyzed. Sadly, the only humane option was euthanasia.

The second fox squirrel suffered head trauma after being struck by a car. Staff administered pain medication, electrolytes and supportive care, and within two days, the squirrel showed improvement. It is still receiving pain medication and being syringe fed twice daily since it will not eat on its own.

Be aware of wildlife attempting to cross our busy roadways, especially when traveling at night. Reducing your speed, even just a little, may allow you to react faster if you do see an animal in the roadway. If you see an animal that has been hit by a car, safely pull over and offer assistance.

Interrupted Migration

Chuck-will’s-widows are members of the nightjar family. Many of these birds migrate through our area as they head North for the summer while others call Southwest Florida home. As with the squirrels, the chuck-will’s-widows were all found in different locations, but all had one thing in common — they ran into trouble when migrating through our area.

The first chuck-will’s-widow was rescued by staff from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as it struggled to stay afloat in the water off Turtle Key in the Ten Thousand Islands National Wildlife Refuge. The chuck-will’s-widow was alert and responsive; it had a traumatic injury to one eye. Currently, this bird is receiving various medications for the eye injury as well as three feedings a day to maintain a healthy weight.

The other two chuck-will’s-widows were injured after colliding with windows. Both were found outside condos along the beach. One was found on Marco Island, the other was found in the Park Shore area of Naples. Both birds were extremely fortunate — although they were stunned from the impact with the window, they did not suffer any serious damage. The birds recovered quickly and were released shortly after being admitted.

Millions of birds die each year after colliding with artificial structures, such as windows and buildings. Help reduce the reflective quality of windows and make them more visible to birds by closing curtains or blinds or by affixing decals to the windows.

Many birds migrate at night and can be drawn off course by tall lighted structures in their flight path. If you live in a high-rise building, like the condos where the two chuck-will’s-widows were injured, encourage your neighbors to turn out the lights at night, especially during spring and fall migration.

Recent Releases

A blue jay, an eastern screech owl, a black and white warbler, two gray catbirds, an osprey, five brown pelicans, a double crested cormorant, a royal tern, four mourning doves, three eastern cottontails, 12 opossums and a raccoon were all returned to the wild this past week.

Get Involved

See how you can help us in our mission to protect Southwest Florida’s water, land, wildlife and future. Visit www.conservancy.org.